Chapter Ch 97 : Tsukiyomi 2

As Itachi's Tsukuyomi crumbled under the overwhelming force of Shika's Shadow Garden, the backlash hit him like a wave crashing against the shore. His eyes, usually so composed and sharp, widened in shock as the strain from losing control of his genjutsu took a toll plus all the beating he got inside that 100 per cent guranteed hit zone came crashing down on him.

The mental assault left him staggered, a bead of sweat dripping down his face. His Sharingan flickered briefly, and his knees buckled as he struggled to maintain his composure.

Itachi hadn't expected this. Being bested inside his own Tsukuyomi was something he never imagined possible, yet here he was, trying to catch his breath, his body trembling from the immense backlash of losing control inside the mental realm.

It felt as if his mind had been ripped apart and put back together, the strain nearly unbearable.

"And no, I'm no Genin sir. I am already a Chunin." Shika replied with a smirk though he himself wasn't feeling great due to the strain that particularly complicated Domain put on him.

Jiraiya, watching from a distance, raised an eyebrow. He had sensed something happening between Shika and Itachi, but the sudden shift in Itachi's demeanor surprised even him.

"What the... Did Shika really do that?" he muttered to himself, a rare look of astonishment crossing his face.

He knew that the boy was talented but to do this to Itachi of all people... Jiraiya can't help but gulp seeing the boy in a new light.

Kisame, who had just returned after finally losing with Shika's massive summon Ox, (actually the Ox dissapear when Shika use his Domain inside his mind.) saw Itachi in his weakened state and frowned.

"What the hell happened to you, Itachi?" he asked, his voice gruff. He wasn't used to seeing Itachi in such a vulnerable position. His partner was usually the one handling situations with ease, but now, he seemed shaken.

Itachi didn't answer immediately. He took a slow, deep breath, forcing his body to stay upright. The mental strain was still pounding in his head, like a relentless hammer. "It's nothing," he finally said, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Doesn't look like nothing," Kisame remarked, glancing back at both Shika and Jiraiya. By all mean if out of two, someone can do this Itachi then it should be Jiraiya right ! even his doing that was a little hard to believe, not unexpected but still hard to believe. So the reason the question was why the hell was Itachi looking at the boy with those eyes. Like that boy was the one who put him in that condition.

"That kid... he's more trouble than I thought," Itachi said, making Kisame's suspicion clear but his own mind was having hard time believing this.

Jiraiya stepped forward, positioning himself between Shika and the Akatsuki members, still cautious. "Whatever happened, it's over now," Jiraiya said, his tone serious. "I'm not letting either of you lay a finger on Naruto or Shika."

Itachi closed his eyes for a brief moment, his expression unreadable as he steadied himself. Despite the overwhelming strain, he didn't let any more weakness show. He had lost inside his own Tsukuyomi, but that was something he'd keep to himself. For now, retreat was the only option.

Kisame clicked his tongue, clearly not pleased, but he wasn't about to go against Itachi's unspoken command. "Guess this isn't our day," he grumbled before stepping back.

Itachi glanced one last time at Shika, his eyes cold and complicated. Then, without another word, he and Kisame turned and disappeared into the shadows, leaving Jiraiya, Shika behind.

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As soon as the Akatsuki members disappeared, Naruto's energy exploded. He was hiding all this time and Shika even put a Shadow Clone to bind him so that he wouldn't come out. He was practically bouncing in place, his face lit up with excitement. "Shika, why did you do that ?" Naruto shouted.

"Where are those guys, why didn't you let me get them!"

 "What did you do, and since when, you became a Chunin ?" he shouted, looking between Jiraiya and Shika with wide eyes.

"What even happened back there? How did they just leave like that? And Shika, what did you do to that guy with the Sharingan? He looked really messed up! And that Ox! Where did that thing come from?!"

Naruto's barrage of questions came all at once, barely giving Shika or Jiraiya time to process what he was saying. Shika, calm as always, just gave Naruto a small smile and shook his head slightly.

Jiraiya chuckled, his arms crossed. "Calm down, Naruto! You're going to explode if you keep talking that fast."

Naruto pouted but didn't stop. "But, come on, Pervy Sage! why did you let me fight! Shika hoarded all the fun! There was this huge Ox! And then the other guy looked like he was about to pass out! What did you do, Shika?!"

Jiraiya turned to Shika with a curious look on his face. "I have to admit, kid, even I'm a bit curious about what happened. Itachi was perfectly fine one second, and the next, he looked like he'd been through hell. Did you do something to him? And where did you summon that giant Ox from?"

Shika paused for a moment, thinking carefully before answering. "Let's say that I reverse Itachi's Genjutsu on him and leave it there. It wasn't easy, but I managed to overwhelm him mentally. As for the Ox… that's one of my Summon." Shika replied but Jiraiya didn't buy that at all, like there exists someone who is better than Itachi flaking Uchiha in Genjutsu. At least not a 12-year-old.

Jiraiya raised an eyebrow. "Summon, huh? You've got some interesting tricks up your sleeve, boy." Jiraiya said, though he didn't ask further clearly knowing that Shika didn't want to explain but narrow his eyes, clearly telling him, that he ain't buying that nonsese he just said.

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